Faced with rising tensions with China, Taiwan has just decreed an extension of the duration of its military service. It will be extended from the current four months to one year.
The decision was made official on Tuesday, December 27th, during a meeting on national security. President Tsai Ing-Wen said that the current length of service “is not sufficient to meet the constantly and rapidly changing situation.” The new military service arrangements are expected to come into effect in 2024. It will apply to all men born after 1 January 2005.
The length of military service was for a long time three years in Taiwan, but it was considerably shortened to two years, then one year, and finally four months by previous governments—in an electioneering move aimed at young people, and during a previous period of relative appeasement of relations with China. Today, the army operates with enlisted soldiers but struggles to recruit and retain personnel. Recent polls show that three-quarters of Taiwanese consider the four-month term too short—a significant shift in opinion, since military service, inherited from Taiwan’s dictatorial years, has long been unpopular.
The announcement comes after Taipei denounced the Chinese People’s Army’s largest-ever intrusion into Taiwanese airspace. On Monday, December 26th, Taipei’s defence minister announced that over the Christmas weekend, China had deployed no less than 71 aircraft, drones, and fighter jets in military manoeuvres that took them into Taiwan’s air defence zone. Of the 71 aircraft, 43 went as far as crossing the Taiwan Strait line. Seven Chinese naval vessels were also detected near the island.
Beijing does not deny this. China has never made a secret of its desire to reclaim the territory of the former island of Formosa, which it considers secessionist since the Kuomintang installed a government there in 1949 at the end of the civil war. The Chinese army therefore proceeded on Sunday, December 25th, with maritime and air “strike exercises” in response to “provocations” from Taipei and the United States.
At the same time, the president has launched a vast programme to modernise the island’s military defences to be able to respond to any eventuality. In addition to the length of military service, the training of soldiers will also be reviewed: the time spent in training camps will be increasing from five to eight weeks, during which they will receive the same combat preparation as American soldiers, the Taiwanese government said.
